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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. court — of law
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. court — of a king
  5. cold — not warm
  6. court — for sport
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — an illness
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com